Conan: I'm a zaibatsu in Tokyo

After Shiho became Ai, she and Shoichi didn't rush back to Tokyo. Instead, they stayed in Kyoto for a few more days to enjoy their vacation.

But since Zheng Yi is on vacation, there are naturally people carrying the burden for him.

"Tokyo Hirozen has no intention of selling the company."

Akemi Miyano called.

Because of Masakazu's whim, Akemi Miyano had to go to great lengths to help him acquire a funeral company, aiming to make burials affordable for the Japanese.

Tokyo Hakuzen is a well-known company in Japan's funeral industry.

The company operates six private crematoriums in the 23 wards of Tokyo.

There are a total of 9 crematoriums in Tokyo, 7 of which are privately owned. This means that Tokyo Hakuzen controls about 70% of the private crematorium market in Tokyo, giving it a very high market share.

The service covers most residents of Tokyo, and even includes high-ranking Japanese officials.

One of the Japanese prime ministers who will be assassinated in the future will also be a client of this company.

"Are you really planning to acquire a funeral company?" Ai asked Masakazu.

“That’s right,” Zheng Yi said. “So many people have died recently, opening a funeral company would definitely be profitable.”

Ai said, "It's only a few people who died, is it really necessary to acquire a funeral home?"

Zheng Yi patted Xiao Ai's head: "You don't understand business matters."

Ai knocks Shoichi's hand away.

Xiao Ai thought to herself, "I don't understand business matters, but I know that because of your inexplicable ideas, my sister is starting to work hard again."

Zheng Yi looked at the newspaper and said, "The newspaper says that Japan has officially entered an aging society. Those old guys won't live much longer, so the funeral industry will definitely have a lot of potential, and..."

Zheng Yi stretched out his finger and tapped Ai's head: "You can't always think about making money. You have to have a heart of dedication."

"A heart of dedication?"

“That’s right,” Zheng Yi said. “I acquired the funeral company not to make money, but simply to make cremation affordable for everyone in Tokyo.”

Ai's lips twitched.

Let's not discuss Zheng Yi's intentions yet. This statement alone is very strange. Do you actually want to cremate everyone?
Zheng Yi saw Ai's expression but didn't take it to heart.

Not everyone knows just how kind his heart truly is.

Doing good deeds without asking for reward.

Shoichi continued to say to Miyano Akemi, "If we communicate more and show our sincerity, I believe they will agree."

“I don’t think so,” Akemi Miyano said. “Tokyo Hirozen has a monopoly in Tokyo and has no intention of selling.”

Unless you buy at a premium.

However, the acquisition price offered by Zheng Yi was too low, so low that even Miyano Akemi felt it was excessive.

"Just communicate a few more times, and they'll eventually realize our sincerity," Zheng Yi said earnestly.

"Speak more sincerely. So many companies before, weren't they all eventually moved by our sincerity?"

Akemi Miyano said, "You're not going to have Conan kill the president of Tokyo Hirozen, are you?"

"Nonsense!" Zheng Yi said displeasedly, "I have decided to turn over a new leaf and to be more civilized in business."

I don't know if Akemi believed Shoichi's nonsense, but Ai certainly didn't.

Zheng Yi added, "Conan is in Kyoto, and he's avoiding Ran, so he won't dare go back to Tokyo anytime soon."

Akemi Miyano on the other end of the phone nodded.

Oh, so it wasn't that Shoichi didn't want to use Conan, it's that Conan can't be used in Tokyo.

“Then I guess this acquisition won’t go through,” Miyano Akemi said.

Zheng Yi frowned and said, "You've conducted so many acquisition negotiations, haven't you made any progress at all?"
"You can't accomplish anything without Conan. How can I entrust the company to you with peace of mind?"

"Then don't give it to me!" Akemi was speechless.

This is not a question of whether she has made progress or has the ability.

At your acquisition price, no one can compete.

"Alright, stop saying such discouraging things," Masakazu said to Akemi. "If you have difficulties, overcome them. Don't always complain about me, your boss."

Mingmei on the other end of the phone muted herself.

Zhengyi said a few more annoying things before hanging up the phone with Mingmei.

Ai sat next to him and listened to the conversation between Masakazu and her sister. She held back for a long time, but finally managed not to beat Masakazu up for her sister.

"How are you going to get Conan back to Tokyo?" Ai asked.

Masakazu reached out and tapped Ai on the forehead. Looking at Ai, who was covering her head, he said softly, "Does that mean I can't do anything without Conan?"

"I grew into a business tycoon in less than a year; I have plenty of methods!"

Even without Conan, he could still succeed.

Zheng Yi muttered to himself, "Mingmei failed to reach an acquisition agreement, which has already alerted them, so I must act quickly."

"What are you going to do?"

Masaichi glanced at Ai but did not answer.

Even if I told you about the methods of a business tycoon, you might not be able to understand them.

He made a phone call: "Keep an eye on Conan and Professor Agasa. I want to make sure they can't buy train or plane tickets anywhere except for tickets to Tokyo."

Ai's eyes widened: "Is this what you meant by 'you have plenty of tricks up your sleeve'?"

Isn't this still forcing Conan to do things for you?

“Yes,” Masahiro nodded and said, “I used methods to get Conan to help me.”

Xiao Ai's lips twitched.

Indeed, to succeed in business, you have to be shameless.

"We need to hurry. We've already alerted them. If we keep dragging our feet, I feel like the president of Tokyo Hirozen is about to run away abroad."

……

Conan stood in front of the automatic ticket vending machine at Kyoto Station, his little hands in his pockets, his brow furrowed.

"Sold out again... There aren't even any waiting list slots available."

He muttered a curse under his breath and kicked the base of the ticket machine hard.

This is the third mode of transportation he has tried.

Shinkansen, limited express trains, and even the slowest local lines—all trains and all seats are, without exception, completely unavailable for booking.

Even plane tickets are unavailable.

It's not peak tourist season, and there haven't been any unexpected incidents, so how come we can't even get tickets?

Back to the hotel.

"This is so strange, Professor Agasa." Conan turned to look at the professor standing next to him. "Why can I only buy tickets back to Tokyo?"

Professor Agasa pushed up his round glasses, his fingers flying across the keyboard. After a moment, he sighed and put away his computer.

"Conan, I've checked. There's nothing wrong with the network ports, and the railway company's server is functioning normally."

"so?"

Professor Agasa paused for a moment and then said, "It should just be an accident, right?"

Conan tapped his head and said, "Doctor, do you think this might be an accident?"

I wanted to buy tickets to Osaka, but found they were all sold out.

I bought a ticket to Hiroshima, but the train service was cancelled due to bad weather.

The route to Okayama was blocked by railway maintenance. The only option left was to return to Tokyo.

The feeling was strange, as if an invisible hand was manipulating him, leading him to where that hand wanted him to go.

Conan said, "Doctor, do you think it's possible that Ran did it? Just to get me to go back?"

"Do you think Ran can do it?" Professor Agasa asked.

Conan shook his head.

Xiaolan doesn't have that ability.

Conan shook his head, the feeling of being manipulated growing stronger.

"No, I have to get out of here." Conan gritted his teeth. "This feeling of being led by the nose is awful."

"Doctor, please rent a car and take me away. I have a feeling that something bad will happen if I stay in Kyoto any longer."

Just then, Conan's phone vibrated in his pocket. He took it out and saw two words flashing on the screen.

Zheng Yi.

Conan pressed the answer button and held the phone to his ear.

"Hey?"

"Xiao Lan is coming to Kyoto."

Conan's heart sank: "What did you say? Ran is coming?"

“Yes, Xiaolan heard about it from somewhere, and when she found out you were in Kyoto, she called me just now to confirm,” Zhengyi said.

"I understand." Conan nodded.

Since Xiaolan is coming here, Kyoto is definitely not a place she can stay.

"What's wrong, Conan?" Professor Agasa asked with concern.

“Doctor,” Conan took a deep breath, “it seems we can’t leave. Ran has come to Kyoto to arrest me.”

"Ah good."

Dr. Agasa nodded and quickly went out to rent a car.

But after searching for a long time, Professor Agasa still couldn't find a car rental company. When he finally found one, the people there said they didn't rent to elderly people.

"Let's go, let's take the Shinkansen back to Tokyo," Conan said.

There was no other way but to take the Shinkansen back to Tokyo.

When Xiaolan comes to Kyoto to find him, he goes back to Tokyo to hide from her.

On the bullet train, Conan was filled with anxiety.

"Professor Agasa, I have a feeling that something bad will happen if we go to Tokyo," Conan said quietly.

"Huh? Why?"

Conan looked around the carriage and whispered, "I don't believe it's such a coincidence. I can only buy a ticket to Tokyo. I feel like there's a big hand behind me, manipulating me."

"Huh?" Professor Agasa said quietly, "Aren't you being a bit too paranoid?"

“It’s a detective’s intuition,” Conan said.

“Intuition is sometimes inaccurate,” Dr. Agasa said. “Didn’t you also ask Shoichi to help you? There was absolutely no trace of manipulation; it was really just an accident.”

Even Zheng Yi's questioning yielded this result, so there couldn't be any other possibility.

If someone else were to make such a big move, how could it possibly be kept secret from someone of Zheng Yi's caliber?

"I still feel something's wrong," Conan said. "Could it be someone from the organization?"

The organization's influence in Japan is unfathomable, and it's possible that they're keeping it from Masahiro.

But Conan still shook his head.

If the organization did this, it means the organization already knows his identity.

Given the organization's style of doing things, they might have just sent an armed helicopter to Kyoto to arrest him; there was no need for them to force him to return to Tokyo.

"Could it be that I'm overthinking it?" Conan whispered.

Professor Agasa nodded and said, "It seems like you're too stressed, which is why you're overthinking things. Why don't you take a nap in the car and recharge?"

"Let's forget it," Conan said. "I can't sleep peacefully in the car."

……

Teru Kimura is the president of Tokyo Hirozen. When he heard that the Justice Group had come to talk about acquisition, it was like the sky had fallen.

With the Justice Group's utterly worthless reputation, who wouldn't be terrified?

Moreover, that scoundrel likes to dabble in every industry and wreak havoc in every industry, making everyone in Tokyo and even the whole of Japan feel insecure.

Although I felt disgusted, I had to greet them with a smile when they came.

He spoke softly to the representative of the Justice Group, but his heart sank after hearing their offer.

That's a classic "justice offer"—they're trying to kill him!

But he did not refuse, only saying that he needed to consider it and discuss it with the shareholders.

After seeing off the representatives of the Justice Group, he immediately bought a plane ticket to Europe.

Then he started contacting shareholders, but none of them were reliable.

Some have already sold their shares to the Justice Group at low prices, and some have even fled abroad. They can't be reached by phone at all. Not a single person is willing to live or die with the company, which makes Kimura Teru furious.

What angered Kimura Teru even more was that there was a problem with the plane ticket he had booked.

Due to extreme weather, flights have been cancelled, and it may take three days to fly to Europe.

He could wait three days, but he was afraid Zheng Yi wouldn't be able to wait three days.

"Let's leave Tokyo first. Zhengyi's influence in Tokyo is too great. If we go to other places, we might be able to put up a fight."

Kimura Teru bought a train ticket to another city.

He had considered driving away, but sitting in the car, he glanced at the driver and sensed that the driver's eyes were not right.

What if I die in the middle of nowhere?
What should I do if I have a car accident while driving myself, in a place where there are no people or surveillance cameras?
Kimura Teru felt unsafe no matter what.

There are many people on the bullet train. As long as he is in a public place, Zheng Yi cannot kill him.

And so, Kimura Teru, wearing a hat and mask, covering himself up completely, and hiding a stun gun in his sleeve, arrived at the station.

"Oh~ no..."

"It's ok."

A brat, oblivious to the danger, bumped into us, and Kimura Teru casually pushed him aside.

Don't block my path to survival!

Conan frowned as he looked at the person he had just bumped into.

"What's wrong, Conan?" Professor Agasa asked.

"That person is strange. He's completely covered up, concealing his identity, and he's in a hurry," Conan said. "That person is very likely suspicious. Let's follow him and see."

"Hey! Conan?"

Conan, with his short legs, went to follow the suspicious guy, and Professor Agasa, clutching his stomach, followed along.

When Conan caught up, the suspicious person had already turned into a suspicious corpse.

The body was surrounded by people; some screamed, some exclaimed, and some called the police.

"How could this be?" Professor Agasa stared blankly at the corpse lying on the ground.

Conan only bumped into him, how could he have killed him? (End of Chapter)